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Monday, July 3, 2017

Make Your Own Romantic Suspense Mad Libs!

Congratulations to "Janet K.", the winner in Shana's giveaway. Thank you to all who participated!

Have you always dreamed about writing your own romantic
suspense story? Well now you can!

In fact, it’s really not that hard. Here’s a plot line
generator that any aspiring author can use to write their own bestseller:

Step 1 – Fill in the
following info:

1.Precious stone

2.Profession

3.Number greater than 1

4.Animal

5.Relative

6.Verb ending in -ing

7.Ominous-sounding name

8.Manly name that can be shortened to something
even manlier

9.Pick one: Navy Seal/Marine/Special Forces
Soldier

10.Profession

11.Liquid

12.Vice
ending in -ing

13.Noun

14.Shortened
version of [8]

15.Body
part

16.Display
of affection

17.Body
part

18.City

19.Body
part

20.Pick
one: burned by/not ready for/not deserving of

21.Verb
ending in -ing

22.Noun

23.Body
part

24.Meat
item

25.Flower

26.Body
part

27.Famous
person

28.Relative

29.Reasons

30.Noun

Step 2 – Insert
answers into this plotline:

TRIGGER WARNING for [4]s, [12], and [27]

[1] is a [2] taking care of [3] [4]s by herself after her
[5] died in a tragic [6] accident. Though she’s lonely, she’s accepted her sad
life as an unavoidable price she must pay in order to stay safe from [7], who
she’s sure is responsible for her [5]’s death even if the police don’t believe
her…

[8], an ex-[9], is a [10] battling inner demons after his
partner died on a botched raid on [7]’s hideout three years ago. One day, he
wakes up in a pool of his own [11] after another hard night of [12] to discover
a mysterious message on his [13] from one of his old squadmates: “[7] is coming
for [1]. Protect her!” What could it mean?? [14] has no idea who [1] is, but he
can’t pass up the opportunity to face his old nemesis, so he tracks her down.

When [14] shows up on [1]’s doorstep with the most
spectacular [15] she’s ever seen, as well as a warning that [7] is coming for
her, she doesn’t know whether to run from him or [16] him. Despite how he makes
her [17] tingle, she can take care of herself, thank you very much! However,
when her house mysteriously catches fire, and she and her [4]s barely make it
out alive, she admits she has no choice but to go into hiding with [14] while
he figures out how to stop [7].

On the run together, [14] forms a plan to confront [7] at
his secret hideout in [18]. Despite being constantly distracted by [1]’s
luscious [19], he knows he needs to keep his mind on the mission. Besides, why
would anyone want him? He’s been [20] love.

After teaching [1]’s [4]s the deadly art of [21] to protect
[1] while he’s gone, [14] goes to [18] to confront [7]. But it’s a trap! [14]
is badly hurt by a vicious [22], but manages to escape.

When [14] returns to [1], she patches up his [23] with such
care that [14] cannot deny his attraction to her any longer. [1] admits she
feels the same, and since her [4]s are conveniently somewhere else at the
moment, he unsheathes his [24], and makes sweet, sweet love to her perfect
[25].

Suddenly, [7] shows up! He put a homing beacon in [14]’s
[26], knowing [14] would lead him to [1]. [7] then rips off an amazingly
life-like mask to reveal he’s really [27], who is also [1]’s [28]. He’s always
hated [1] for [29], and wants her dead. No one can stand in his way now –
except [14]!

Unfortunately for [27], [14] is now filled with the vigor
and energy only sexual healing can provide, and he uses his [30] to defeat [27]
and save the day!

Now that [1] is safe and [14] has learned how to love again,
they live happily ever after with [1]’s now-deadly [4]s, who [14] loves as his
own. The end!

***

See? It’s just that simple. Change the pronouns for an LGBTQ
angle, or throw in some kinky sex scenes for an erotic edge if you want, or
some animal shape-shifting/vampires/werewolves/etc. for a paranormal twist. The
possibilities are endless!

RECKONING by Shana
Figueroa

Pub Date: July 11, 2017

Hell hath no fury like
Valentine…

Five years. It’s been five years of blissful peace for
private eye Valentine Shepherd and her hot-ass husband, Max Carressa. Five
years of watching their twins grow up healthy and happy, even as Val waits for
Hell to unleash its fury. Her enemies have been planning, and Val knows she
doesn’t have nearly enough weapons to protect her family…

Yet Val and Max have one advantage—their insatiable desire
for each other allows them to see into the future, and the visions they share
may just give them a chance. But as events are set into motion that endanger
everyone Val’s ever loved, she’ll do whatever it takes to stop the horror she’s
already seen.

Val sat at the foot of the bed, sipping coffee and watching
Max futz with a tie in front of the bedroom mirror. From the first floor, Lydia’s
laughter reached them through their closed door. Hopefully that meant the kids
were already warming up to Jamal.

“You’ve never heard of a group of guys who go to a secret
smoking room or possible sex club after work, have you?” she asked.

Max’s hands stopped. He looked at her through the mirror, an
eyebrow cocked. “You’re kidding, right?”

He continued knotting the purple silk around his neck. “Is
this related to Lacy Zephyr’s visit a couple days ago?”

“Maybe. Yes.” She’d told him Lacy came by, but had kept the
details to herself out of respect for her first client in about half a decade.
Now she realized she couldn’t get Max’s help without bringing him fully on
board. She’d tried keeping him in the dark once before, during her
investigation into Blue Serpent; it had turned out disastrously for them both.
The specter of Lacy’s disapproval could take comfort that Max was good at
keeping secrets. “How well do you know her husband?”

“Aaron? Not well. I see him at meetings sometimes.”

“So you don’t know what he does in his spare time, say after
work?”

“No idea.”

She regarded him over the rim of her mug, drumming her
fingers on the sides of the ceramic.

Max straightened his tie, glanced at her in the mirror, and
frowned. “Don’t even ask.”

“Please?”

“No. Aaron and I aren’t friends.”

“But you could be.” Lord knows he could use more friends. Of
course he could say the same thing about her, especially since Stacey took off
five years ago for destinations unknown, but this wasn’t about her.

“I’m not palling up with someone I barely know just to find
out what he does after work.”

“Okay, fine.” She took another slurp of her coffee. “Could
you at least find out what his schedule looks like over the next week or so?”

Shoving the end of the tie under his vest, he turned to face
her and shook his head.

“Then I’ll have to spend all day and night staking him out.
Don’t know how long that’ll go on for. When my mom comes to visit in a couple
days, you’ve got it covered, right?”

Max’s gorgeous hazel eyes drilled into her, his lips
tightened in a half-smile. Hot damn, never had bemused frustration looked so
sexy. She loved twisting his screws just to get that look.

“To state the obvious, you are manipulative,” he said as he
snatched his suit coat off a loveseat in the corner and slipped it on. “I’ll
see what I can do, alright?”

She jumped up and kissed him, careful not to slop coffee on
his suit. “Thanks. You can punish me later.”

“You bet I will.” He slapped her ass and seized her lips
with his, kissing her with such force she thought he might throw her on the bed
and make love to her right then. When his kiss turned her insides to liquid and
she started pulling at his belt buckle, a feverish desperation for him burning
in her belly, he pulled away, stepped past her, and bounced down the stairs.

She gasped, the void where he used to be like a splash of
cold water to her face. “Tease,” she called after him.

He snickered the rest of the way to the first floor. Yeah,
real fucking funny. She’d make him pay for that. He wouldn’t be getting any
sleep tonight, that’s for damn sure.

Valentine Shepherd Series:

Vengeance (Book 1)

Retribution (Book 2)

Reckoning (Book 3)

Shana Figueroa is a published author who specializes in
unique romance and humor, with occasional sojourns into horror, sci-fi, and
literary fiction.

She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, two young
daughters, and two old pugs. By day, she serves her country in the US Air
Force. By night, she hunkers down in a corner and cranks out the crazy stories
lurking in her head.

Giveaway!Comment on any Character
Portrait blog post on my website
to enter to win a $10 Amazon gift card!

Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST July 4th. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email maureen@justromanticsuspense.com with a subject title of JRS GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway.

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A recipe that includes a dash of desperation, a smidgen of danger, a dollop of adventure and a healthy portion of passion. Sprinkle a happy ending on top and you have the perfect meal. - JUST ROMANTIC SUSPENSE